Since you mentioned shampoo, I buy that in bulk. I can bring my own container, which I weigh at the check stand before filling it. I’m lucky enough to live by a community market and they stock a variety of liquids (and some powders!) in bulk. Of what I can remember, they have multiple options of: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, lotion, massage oil, dish soap, and laundry detergent.

If your local store doesn’t have things in bulk, ask the grocer/body care specialist. The Whole Foods near my boyfriend’s house had nothing in bulk, so I asked if they would start adding things, and sure enough, they have! (I’m still working on them to add bulk dish soap – that’s one they’re a bit resistant to, oddly enough.)

As a total nerd side note, when I get my bottles weighed, I tell the clerks to skip writing the weight – usually something like .25 grams – on a little sticker, which would usually be affixed to the bottle. Not only do those stickers come attached to a plastic backing, I get to test my memory by doing this. (If I’m concerned though, I’ll write the numbers on my hand or put them in my cell phone as a note.)

Hi Amy, don´t feel bad about “having a lot of work to do” I´ve been at it over 3 years & things take time. A lot of things I´m going to start working on – now, because I still have plastic. (for one example those annoying things in olive oil & vodka. I´m capable of pouring & sometimes I just wanna pour it quickly. Especially on those few vodka pouring occasions!)

Q tips- in my health food shop they have organic cotton ones, so happens they are paper sticks. Still a tiny plastic window, but I go with that.

Shampoo, deodorants etc – I use LUSH now. They have a naked range, all the products are solid. Sure you´ll have them online there, if not a store.

Moisturiser – I use a lush one to, but it´s expensive, so when I´m home or before bed I use olive oil. (yes it still has the annoying plastic pourer thing – but less plastic than a bottle) & you get use to smelling like a salad! Bit strange at first I admit.

Cups in public – I take a mug or glass with me when I go out. I usually know I´m going, I don´t often get caught by surprised, I ask for a glass when I do or drink local bottled beer. (when I think they´ll be food I take a plate & crockery to…) Now I have a glass I found at a bootsale as it has the measure on so people don´t think I ripping them off! In the summer we went to a festival, we were 3 of 40,000 people. The only ones with mugs & bottles. I had to sweet talk the police to let them in! but they did. Yes we stood out, we were swimming in plastic cups. But every bartender or vender we spoke to was at first confused, but cool & they filled us up (we tipped well which maybe helped!) & by the end of the 3 days we were no longer weird, they saw the state of the place….. & were equally horrified. & we still had our fair share of fun!!! (apart from being disgusted by the HUGE sea of plastic we were in. Which is something I´m still learning to detach myself from, but on this occasion my boyfriend was more angry than me. Sometimes things are so big we have to let go… get merry & dance! even in that sea of plastic)

I STILL need to sort my toothbrush out. I still have to sort my work plastic out. There´s loads of other stuff to. Some friends are getting on board now! so we´ll be able to bulk buy (before I´ve just gone with out a lot of food stuff, which isn´t the best idea!) I should properly write to the organisers of that festival… 2012 the year to up the ante a little bit more!

Hope this helps Amy, I´m more than happy to answer any more questions.

There´s some photos here of that festival & our local plastic on our beaches here & in another set, if you´d like a look.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40829205@N05/sets/72157624935792639/

http://plasticfreeguide.com/

There are lots of solutions there. Looking over it today, I realized that somehow the formatting had gotten totally screwed up, and so it might not have been easy to read. I fixed it all, and the guide should be helpful. Also, check out the Category List on the far right sidebar, where you might also find the kinds of solutions you are looking for.

Cheers!

The other thing is when someone visits, my dad was in town and we went to buy TP and he reached for the ones in plastic, and I had to tell him, “No Dad, I don’t buy the ones in plastic, I use the ones in paper” Or when I have a friend over and someone else does the dishes and I have no dish soap because I use baking soda in a shaker.

There are all these little changes I’ve made that I suppose add up to quite a bit. I know soda bottles alone have to be at least 50 a year. I have no idea how many bags even being imperfect about refusing them because I got in the habit so early. (I’m still using a bag I got from Modeling School when I was 16 LOL) I know clam shell berry and bakery containers are probably between 40 and 50 a year, shampoo is probably only about 3 or 4 a year but I suppose that adds up. I probably refuse at least 3 straws and drink tops a week now. It is more encouraging to think about how many I refuse. I know even though I give in more than I’d like to to packaged food, I certainly don’t eat it every night anymore.

Conservative saving of plastic items: 320 plus per month! Per year: 3840!!!